“I know Mom, but what can I do? Diana refuses to talk to me because she’s decided there is no God. I’ve tried everything I know and she won’t even listen to me. When she did attempt to listen once, she could barely let me finish a sentence,” Linzy explained insistently.

“I know Linzy. I know, but it hurts me so bad that my two daughters don’t speak and haven’t spoken to each other in years,” her mother tearfully replied.

“Don’t cry Mom. I don’t want to hang up knowing I’ve upset you. Besides, she lives with you right? SO maybe at some point she’ll become curious, what with all the prophecy videos you watch and everything. Maybe she’ll hear something that gets her to thinking.”

“I sure hope so. It’s just really hard ya know? But, I know you’ve done everything you can to try and reach her and so have I…... I’m not upset with you Honey. I’m just upset,” her mother explained.

“I know Mom….Just keep praying!”

“I will. I’ll call you soon,” her mother replied; hanging up the phone.

“Oh Lord, I just wish that Diana would stop running from You once and for all, and before the Rapture!” Linzy cried.

She went to bed that night and cried until she fell asleep. Then, she had a wonderful dream that her sister called her and confessed her faith in Jesus, and her love for her as well, and there was great rejoicing within the family.

“What a remarkable dream. God, I sure hope it will come true!” She prayed when she awoke that morning.

The next morning Linzy got up extra early; excited about everything that God was doing within her and, hopefully within her small city, and drove the short distance to her church to meet with her members’ group about their plans to evangelize.

“I think we should be assigned neighborhoods that we could then drive through. We can make a map and check off the streets we’ve covered, so we don’t end up there twice,” one of the church elders suggested.

Pastor Brooks nodded in agreement.

So that Saturday, Linzy happily went about with three others; leaving church materials along with tracks of personal testimonies, and the Gospel Message on doorknobs and mailbox flags.  

“Wow, I can’t believe the dirty looks I’m getting when someone sees me through their front window!” One of the women exclaimed.

“Scary, but have no fear! The Lord is near!” Linzy replied.

“Yeah, no matter what happens it’s worth it doing all we can for God’s Kingdom!”

“AMEN!” Linzy replied; shutting the car door, as she got back inside.

Then all of a sudden, just as they were about to drive away, the owner of that house came running out enraged over what she just saw. “What do you Bible thumpers think you’re doing?!” She shrieked. “Get off of my property right now! I’m gonna call the authorities and have you arrested! I have your license plate number!”

They drove off slowly; completely stunned.

“Wow, Deidra, do you think she really means it?”

“I think she might,” Deidra replied; beginning to shake a little.

Later that evening, Linzy and her husband were sitting on their couch with a bowl of popcorn; watching a Christian prophecy update, when they were suddenly startled by the sound of 2 police officers banging on their front door.

“Are you Linzy Grimley?”

“Yes,” Linzy replied in disbelief.

I’m afraid you’re gonna have to come with us,” One of the men shouted in disgust.

“It’s not against the law to spread Truth,” she brazenly declared, as they slapped handcuffs on her wrists behind her back.

Linzy went quietly with the police, while her husband stood utterly helpless and dismayed in the doorway. Then he pounded his house with his fist, and slammed the door. He spent the next 3 days looking up laws that might make clear his wife’s innocence, and asking many of his friends what they knew about the subject. Next, he called his mother-in-law to inform her of what just happened and to express his outrage.

“Oh my goodness! I’ll hop on the next bus and be there as soon as I can!” She replied in horror.

“Well I guess I should say not to trouble yourself, but the truth is I really could use the support,” he replied; choking back tears.

Linzy’s mother Grace quickly wrote a note to Diana simply telling her she was going to visit Linzy for a few days. She arrived several hours later. “Oh Duke! I can’t believe it!” She shrieked; falling into his arms. “I’m so glad Linzy has you to help and support her. I sure do wish I was here for a party or some other happy occasion,” she said; beginning to cry.

Duke put his strong arm around his mother-in-law and walked her into the kitchen. He sat her down and began filling the tea kettle.

“Here, I made us some tea,” he said a few minutes later; putting a steaming cup in front of her.

“Thanks,” she replied.

They sat in silence, deep in thought, when suddenly the phone rang.

“Maybe you shouldn’t answer it,” said Grace, to Duke’s surprise.

“Are you kidding? It could be someone calling with information, or maybe it’s the police,” he retorted.

“Hello, is this Linzy’s husband, Duke?”

“Yes, who is this?”

“We’re just calling to let you know, you can pick up your wife from the police station now. We issued her a warning for soliciting in a private neighborhood. So the next time, we won’t be letting her out so quickly, just so you both understand.”

“I’ll be right there!” Duke shouted, as he quickly hung up the phone and ran to find his boots and jacket. “Come on Grace! We’re going over to the police station to pick up Linzy!” He exclaimed.

“Okay, so what do you think about this Grace?” He asked as soon as they got into his truck.

“Well, it really stinks!”

“Don’t you think it’s a little worse than that? Ya know, I was afraid something like this would happen! There’s no way I’m letting her go out evangelizing ever again!”

Grace stayed deep in prayerful thought, as Duke went inside the jail to free Linzy.  ‘I’ll wait till he calms down, and then I’ll explain to him that putting ourselves in harm's way for the LORD is worth whatever comes. If we don’t speak Truth to the lost, what will become of them? And we mustn’t allow their blood to be on our hands.’

“But God I know Duke isn’t saved himself, so it’s pretty hard for him to understand….OH, please help us LORD,” she tearfully prayed.

Just then, Duke came out of the precinct with his arm around Linzy; looking so intently at her face, he had trouble walking straight. Deidra also came out with her husband’s arm around her waist.

Then, as they began to drive off, Grace’s cell phone rang. It was Diana. “Hi Mom! How’s it going? You said you were going to visit Linzy Right? Is everything going well there? Are you there?....Mom?”

“Oh yes! Yes, everything here is fine. You just startled me is all……hahaha….ha…..”

“Oh….Well that’s good. When are you coming back home?”

“Well I’m actually not sure right at the moment,” Grace replied; not knowing what to say.

“Not sure? Mom, what’s going on? You sound funny.”

“Nothing Sweetheart. It’s just that we’re trying to figure that out right now…..what would be the best thing to do. For me to stay for 3 days or 4 or a whole week maybe. I’ll let you know as soon as I find out myself…Okay?”

“Yeah, okay Mom…..Have a nice day!”

“You too Honey,” Grace replied; hanging up the phone in relief.

“Boy, I sure do hate lying like that,” she told Duke, as they walked into the house and sat down.

“Well, you are about to visit with Linzy now, so you weren’t lying, just omitting,” Duke replied; reassuringly

Linzy and Grace went into the kitchen, while Duke went upstairs to the bedroom to busy himself away from the women to give them some time alone.

“So Mom, what did you and Duke talk about while I was in the big house,” Linzy playfully asked, in a vain attempt to make her mother laugh.

“Come on Linzy….I know you know, and I can tell even more certainly by that question. He’s against you putting yourself at risk. I know he’s completely wrong, but you gotta love em’ for not wanting anything bad to happen to you. He’s quite the protector. I mean the way he attended to you comin’ outta that jail. I’m just sayin’…..Duke is only worried about you. He wants the best for you. The worst thing about Duke is…..he isn’t saved, just like your sister.”

“I know what you’re saying….I really do and it’s awfully sweet of you too to say, but like you said the most important thing is he isn’t saved. And if he was, he would understand why I must go out and spread the good news of the Gospel, and now more than ever, with the Rapture SO near,” Linzy replied.

The two spent the next few hours discussing the salvation of both Diana and Duke.

“I can’t believe it’s been like 12 years since you and Diana spoke,” Grace suddenly announced after some silence.

“I know Mom…..I know it’s sad. I know how much it hurts you too, but really what can I do?”

“Nothing, I’m just recalling how long it’s been,” Grace replied.

“But wait a minute Mom….Isn’t it only 10 years? Well, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that we start talking again! And that she and Duke get saved as soon as possible!.....Hey, does she know what happened to me? Did you tell her the reason why you came so suddenly to visit me?”

“Well, no. I was very vague. I didn’t think it would be a very good idea to tell her what really happened. I just told her I was coming to visit you,” Grace replied.

Linzy suddenly stood up at that moment and began pacing around the room.

“What is it Linzy?”

“What do you suppose she would do if she did know?” Linzy suddenly said; spinning around to face her mother.

“Well…..” Grace began; standing up. “I don’t know to be honest. She might not do a thing about it, just ignore it. Why do you ask like that?”

“Because I was just wondering if she did know that I’m willing to risk myself for the Lord, could that possibly help her spiritual eyes to begin to open?”

“Yeah! I mean I don’t know, but I guess it’s possible….What are you suggesting Linzy?”

“Nothing. I was just wondering like I said,” Linzy replied.

Then they both went to bed, but laid awake wondering all night.

Linzy fell into a deep sleep for a few moments though and dreamt of the day that her sister would come back into her life because she was finally saved and couldn’t go on another day not speaking to her own sister.

A few days passed. Linzy stood with her mother; saying goodbye at the bus station. “I wish you could stay longer,” Linzy exclaimed, with her arms stretched out to give her a big hug. “Thank you so much for coming right away as soon as you heard the news.”

“What about your court date? We were so busy chatting about Diana these past few days I almost forgot to ask!”

“It’s next month. Don’t worry about it. I’m not. I’m ready to go out and do it again as soon as Pastor Brooks says.”

“You’re so brave, my darling girl.”

“I’m just following what the Lord is telling me,” Linzy replied.

Grace was home several hours later, only to find the house empty. She began unpacking her suitcase when she heard Diana come through the kitchen door. She quickly made her way downstairs to greet her.

“Hi Mom!” she exclaimed; carrying a few shopping bags.

“Oh, let me help you,” Grace offered.

“No it’s okay. I got it,” Diana replied.

“So what’s going on with my sister?” She inquired; catching Grace off guard.

“Oh well you wouldn’t believe it,” Grace replied.

“What do you mean I wouldn’t believe it?” Diana retorted.

“I mean your sister was arrested for evangelizing.”

“What’s evangelizing?”

“She was arrested simply for telling people about Jesus,” Grace replied, with a serious, staring look.

“OH! WOW….. Well…….she’s stupid! She should know she’s asking for trouble doin’ a stupid thing like going up to some poor person’s house who she doesn’t know and pushing her beliefs on people!”

“Well that’s one way to look at it I guess, but have you considered how much courage that takes?! Have you ever stopped to think that people who are willing to risk their well-being, even their very lives for the Lord could possibly love GOD and are committed to devotion….Let me tell you something, trying to help other people find the joy and the peace that only God can grant takes great courage, and risking ourselves for the possibility that someone else can be saved takes tremendous LOVE; you can’t do it if you’re selfish! So I will not stand here and let you insult your sister like that Diana!....I’m going to bed! Good night!”

That night, Diana could barely sleep, but she did fall into a deep sleep for a little while and had a dream. God gave her a beautiful dream about heaven, about what it’s like to love the Lord Jesus; to know Him and Him knowing us. And incredible peace came over her; the kind of which she had never known before.

Then, she got out of bed and fell to her knees and cried out to the LORD! She gave her life to Jesus that night and called Linzy first thing in the morning….

Then, a few weeks later, Duke came up to Linzy one afternoon, while she was folding laundry in the bedroom and said:

“Ya know I’ve been thinkin’ and maybe ya know, maybe…..I do want to ya know, give this Christian thing some consideration. Will you help me please Linzy?”

“Are you kidding? Get over here! Hallelujah! Thank YOU LORD! OH, PRAISE GOD! Of course I will help you anyway I can,” she replied, with big tears welling in her big, brown eyes.

Linzy is a certified Bible Counsellor, with countless republications on her viewers blogs, Bible Studies, Ezines and the like. Her portfolio includes, non-fiction articles, short stories for all ages, and Christian poetry.